Game apparatus.



No. 884,277. PATENTED APR. 7, 908. J. F. HUGHES. GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 26.1907.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' JAMES F. HUGHES, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

GAME APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 7, 1908.

Application filed September 26, 1907. Serial No. 394,599.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, JAMES F. HUGHES, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Game Apparatus, of which the'following is a specification.

This invention relates to game apparatus for use in playing the game of indoor golf; more particularly, the invention is directed to the provision of an improved device constituting the hole into which the golf ball is to be played.

The object of the invention is to provide such a device so constructed as to permit of accurate play in holing a ball exactly as a ball would be holed on an outdoor course,

that is, -so constructed that a ball will be holed when pla ed to it in such-manner as would result in oling a ball under the same conditions on, an outdoor course. When so constructed, a highly entertaining game may be played with the device and one in which a player may become quite expert, and furthermore, the device afiords valuable indoor practice for playing outdoor olf.

A device of the character 'a ove described consists ofa plate ada ted to lie'upon the rovided wit an opening therein and the ha is played over the wall of the device and into the opening. With these devices constructed as has heretofore been the practice, accurate play in accordance with the principles of outdoor golf has not been posslble as provision has not been made for guardingv against false deflection of the .ball

y the outer wall of the device and the rim of the hole.-- My invention contemplates the provision of such a device which is so constructed that a ball played to it will not be deflected by the outer wall and will be deflected by the rim of the hole only as a ball would be when similarly played to a hole on an outdoor course sunk in the ground in the usual manner.

My invention will be readily understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which I Figure 1 is a top view of the device and Fig. 2 is a section on line 22 of Fi 1.

Referring to the drawings, the device consists of an annulus A: the openin within which constitutes the hole into which the golf ball is to be layed. This annulus is provided with radlally disposed arms 0 extending across the opening therein and a small hole I) at the junction of these arms at the center of the annulus. A vertical wall B inte ral with the annulus A rises therefrom around substantially one-half of the rim of the openin through the annulus. This wall is prefera lyyof greatest height at the center thereof and of slightly decreasing height toward the ends, and the corners at the ends are rounded off somewhat. A bracket C, which may also beintegral with the annulus A and wall B, is disposed radially of the annulus and referably extends from the wall B outward y toward the edge of the annulus. The outer edge of the annulus on the side opposite the wall B is cut away on a line which 1s slightly curved, as shown at D, the length of this line being greater than the diameter of the central opening in the annulus. The curve of line D is formed on a radius equal to the distance from the line to the avera e position of the ball when played with su lcient accuracy to hit the annulus. Preferably, the outer edge of the annulus and, if desired, the edges of the arms a, are beveled ofi somewhat, as shown. The device may consist of a single casting or may be formed of pressed sheet-metal and, in either case, may be manufactured at low cost.

As thus constructed, the device is placed upon the floorin the desired position and held-against bodily movement by a tack c inserted through the hole b and into the carpet, this tack serving as a pivot about which the annulus may turn. The player first turns the annulus about its edge D is toward his ball. T e bracket 0 is provided to facilitate this and avoid the necessity of stoo ing over to turn the dev ce before each stro e; the player may merely en age the bracket C with the end of his clu and turn the device as desired. The ball is then played to the hole in the usual manner. If the ball is layed with sufficient accuracy, it will first lnt the edge of the annulus somewhere alon the line D and ride up on the annulus. it will be seen that if line D were straight and the ball were layed a little ofi' a line to the center of the ho e, the ball would be deflected somewhat when it .hit the edge of the annulus, possibly enough to cause it to miss the hole when otherwise it would have gone in by reason of the slight ivot until the I curvature of the line D inwardly of the annulus, such deflection of the ball does not occur. v i

{iAfter passing the edge D, the ball may come to rest in the hole or roll across and engage the wall B. If the ball is moving with such speed that, on an outdoor course, it would ass over the hole, it will, on hitting the wall B, ride over the same and roll beyond the annulus, the height of wall B being accurately gaged for this purpose. If the ball hits the wall B at a polnt therein away from the center, it will be deflected thereby toward the center line of the hole just as a ball would be when it hits a corresponding point in the rim of a hole on an outdoor course. 'If the direction of the ball is substantially tan ent to the opening in the annulus, the bal will engage one end of wall B. If it e ages the end squarely it will mount the will and ride over it. But if the ortion of the ball which engages the end of t e Wall is onthe side of the ball. away from the center of the hole, the ball will be deflected in a direction toward the center of wall B and will drop back into the hole or ride over the wall depending on the speed at which the ball is traveling. The arms a, being uite thin, obstruct the movement of the bal but little and their effect on the ball is negligible; if desired, the two arms which are substantially parallel to the line D may be omitted and the other two only reli'ed'on to hold the annulus relatively to the pivot.

Having now described In invention, what I claim as new thereinand esire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows 1. Game a paratus comprising a plate having a circu ar 0 ening therein and a wall extending upward y from said plate and about a portion of said opening, substantially as set forth.

2. Game a paratus comprising a plate having a circu ar 0 ening therein and awall exten ing upward y from said plate and about a portion of said 0 ening, and means for rotatabl mounting the plate, substantially as set orth. 3. Game apparatus comprising a plate havin a circu ar 0 ening therein and a wall extem ing upward y from said plate and about a portion of said opening, said wall be-' ing of greatest height at the center and decreasing in height from the center toward the ends thereof, substantially asset forth.

4. Game apparatus comprising an annular,

metallic plate, integral arms extending across the openin therethrough, said arms having a' hole theretlirough at the center of the plate, and a wall extending upwardly from the plate and about a portion of said opening, said wall decreasing in height toward the ends thereof, substantially as set forth.

5. Game a paratus comprising a late having a circu ar opening therein, a wa extending u wardly from said plate and about a portion 0 said 0 ening, means for rotatably mounting the plate, and a bracket on the plate to facilitate turning the same, substantially as set forth.

I 6. Game apparatus comprising an annular, metallic plate, integral arms extending across the openln therethrough, said arms having a hole therethrough at the-center of the plate, a Wall extending u wardly from theplate and about aportiono said opening, and a bracket also extending upwardly from the plate and disposed substantially radially thereof, substantially as set forth.

7. Game apparatus comprising a plate having an opening therein, said plate having a portion of its outer edge cut away and the length of said cut-away portion being greater than the diameter of the opening of the plate, substantially as set forth.

8. Game apparatus comprising a plate having an opening therein, said plate having a portion of its outer edge cut away and the line of said out being curved-inwardly of the plate and being of greater length than the diameter of said opening, substantially as set forth. I

9. Game a paratus comprising a plate having acircu ar opening therein and a wall rising from the late about a ortion of said 0 enmg, said p ate having t e outer. edge t ereof opposite said wall cut away, substantially as set forth.

10. Game a paratus comprising an annular, metallic plate, a wall rising per endicularly therefrom about a portion of t 1e opening therein, and means for mounting the plate for rotation, said plate having the outer edge thereof 0 posite said wall cut away and the line of sair out being curved inwardlv of the plate and being of greater length than the 

